How could it be otherwise: Ironman World Champions Patrick Lange and Laura Philipp were named athletes of the year this weekend at the annual and prestigious Sailfish Night of the Year. Best race turned out to be – for the thirteenth time in a row – Challenge Roth. Daniela Ryf was highlighted with a Lifetime Award.
Every year during the Sailfish Night of the Year, the best performing athletes and best rated races are highlighted. This year the choice for athletes of the year may not have been a very exciting one, as both Patrick Lange and Laura Philipp both won the Ironman World Championships; Lange did so on Kona, while Philipp triumphed in Nice. The choice of Challenge Roth as the best race was also not a very surprising one: after all, this was already the thirteenth time in a row and the race, which sells out within seconds every year, is invariably highly rated.
Daniela Ryf, who recently retired as a pro athlete, received a Lifetime Award. This thanked her for all she has meant to the sport of triathlon.
